NEWSKelsey Grammer Forgives Sister's Murderer as He Reflects on 'Torturing' Himself After Her 'Tragic' Death
The actor's sister was stabbed 42 times when she was raped and murdered in 1975.
May 23 2025, Published 2:05 p.m. ET
During a Thursday, May 22, segment of NewsNation’s On Balance With Leland Vittert, famed actor Kelsey Grammer reflected on the tragic murder of his sister Karen Grammer, who died when she was only 18 years old.
While his Karen: A Brother Remembers memoir focused on a raw look into his sister being stabbed 42 times and crawling 400 feet for help before she succumbed to her wounds, Kelsey dove just as deep when he was asked by Leland Vittert if he had forgiven the man who raped and killed his sister in 1975.
Kelsey Grammer Uses Christianity to 'Forgive' Sister's Murderer
Kelsey Grammer turned to religion to cope with his sister's murder.
“It doesn’t require forgiveness. The forgiveness I have actually expressed toward the man that killed my sister comes from a Christian perspective,” the actor said. “To forgive is what we’re commanded to do. So I have done that.”
Though Kelsey has had many years to heal from the trauma of his sister’s passing, he said he still has moments when he wishes he could turn back time.
Kelsey Grammer Discusses His Sister's 'Tragic' Murder
The actor said he focused a lot on the 'tragic' murder of his sister.
“Do I still have wrangling moments when I wish that I could just, you know, cancel him completely from my memory and bring my sister back to life? Yeah, I do have those, and they will always be part of the wrestling game that I have with my life now,” he shared.
“But Karen is with me, and Karen is, the greater joy is in my life now with her, rather than focusing so much on the tragedy,” Kelsey continued. “But it was, it was a tragic, awful thing that took a long time to deal with.”
Kelsey Grammer Compares Death of Sister to Death of His Parents
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- 5 Biggest Bombshells From Kelsey Grammer's Memoir: From Karen's Brutal Murder to Kayte Walsh's Abortion and More
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Kelsey Grammer reflected on how his sister's death compared to the death of his mom and dad.
When asked by Leland if his grief for his sister was harder to cope with than that of what he experienced from the deaths of his parents, Kelsey admitted that as Karen’s protector, it led him to feel different sorts of pain.
“I think that the relevant part of it as a brother, the older brother that I was, and the fact that we’d lost so many people before Karen died,” Kelsey said.
Kelsey Grammer 'Tortured Himself' After Sister's Murder
The actor said he 'tortured himself' for a long time after his sister's death.
“I also had assigned myself the command, basically, to look after her,” he added. “So that was, I felt, you know, desperately short on that night, and tortured myself with that for a long time.”
As for how the Frasier actor deals with the state of grief he still holds in his heart for being unable to help his sister, he said that as long as he remembers the good memories, there’s always a chance to escape the devastating reality.
Kelsey Grammer Says 'Grief Will Never Go Away'
The actor said that 'grief will never go away.'
“The lesson I’m trying to impart is that your grief will never go away, but that if you can, to restore as much of the goodness that you had in that relationship so that they can actually stand face-to-face and possibly cancel one another out so that you can actually still remember some joy,” he shared.
